Disneyland Resort Lowers 2-park prices for APs

[Amor4Pooh]

We received a flyer in the mail this past week with the prices for all the APs for DLR. Now the 2-park passes are being sold at the previously sold one park pass price except for the So. Cal. So no more increase of $100 dollars to add on DCA. The Disneyland AP prices will now show no increase at all to add on DCA, which I am sure will help tremendously to increase the numbers of APs who will go there regularly. I know that we all (in our family) only purchased the 2-park because we were not willing to pay $43 dollars a day to get in to DCA, so now we are even happier to not have to pay anything extra to add it on to our premium APs (we only go maybe 2 times a month to DCA and never for a full day, as opposed to 5-10 for DL all day).
The prices are as follows: So Cal 2-park $99 (formerly $89 for DL only), Deluxe 2-park $149 (same price for DL only), and the premium 2-park $199 (same price for DL only).
I am sure this price cut will increase the amount of APs at DCA tremendously ( 35,000 last I heard) and be great for business there. In the long run, Disney will stand to gain from this price cut, so everyone will be the better for it. I am happy about it, and hopefully it will be a permanent change for the better.
Nichole

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I wonder if that means I should hold out for a price cut for the WDW AP's....

 

[raidermatt]

It would have been nice if there hadn't been such a great need to cut the prices for DCA. However, since its going to take time to make enough changes to allow DCA to stand on its own, the price cuts are a good move.

 

[Another Voice]

One hears all kinds of interesting rumors these days…

Like the rumor that there’s a tacit agreement within The Company that California Adventure cannot currently stand as a separately ticketed park. It was a lesson learned after a bitter year – this summer “kids free, adults at 35% off” didn’t produce the levels The Company had hoped for (and the increased vanished the moment the discounts ended); the current $6 add-on ticket isn’t working either. All of this came after a massive marketing campaign, a scramble to revamp the Electrical Parade (no impact either), promotional tickets, giveaways and all the other tricks in a marketers magic hat.

It’s rumored that the change in the annual pass policy is a near-desperate attempt the keep the attendance from actually falling. Some claim that AP holders make up more than 30% of the park’s attendance – and a significant number of them were renewing with the Disneyland-only pass. There’s also indications that renewed dual park AP holders themselves are losing interest in DCA. Plans to eliminate the DL-only pass in favor of the higher priced “two park” pass were quickly reversed. The goal here is preserve the in-park spending and to keep the attendance numbers up (even if the guests aren’t paying per visit) so The Company can spin something to Wall Street.

The rumors go on to say that for the next few years, California Adventure will be marketed in a similar way that the water parks at WDW are marketed – the “while you’re here, take a look at this!” arrangement. The goal is to siphon enough guests away from Disneyland to keep DCA’s attendance from falling while things are fixed over the next several years.

The “several years” is rumored to be 2005, a year that will mark a huge marketing event for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary and, it’s hoped, that California Adventure will have enough “stuff” to finally be sold as a real park. What that “stuff” is going to be is the current topic of corporate in-fighting. The only items moving more-or-less forward are the horror that is Bug’s Town and the ‘Tower of Disquieting Feelings’ (the cut-rate version of WDW’s ‘Tower of Terror’). The remainder of the plans for DCA, the plans for Disneyland 50, and any hope for additions to WDW are fighting it out for budget as you read this. No one knows where the final dollars will be spread so this will be an interesting year for rumors.

The annual pass pricing change is to deal with a specific problem at Disneyland. And while Animal Kingdom has issues of its own, I wouldn’t wait around for the WDW price to change.

 

[raidermatt]

AV- Is it definite that the DCA ToT will be "scaled down"? I'd heard the rumor, but was hoping they would actually come to their senses on this one.

That aside, 2005 sounds like a reasonable timeframe. If the enhancement/expansion process is successful, the improvements should come incrementally. Meaning it maybe 2005 before DCA is considered "stand alone", but the 2003 version should be better than 2001, etc.

I'm sure Bug's town has been discussed before, but could you provide a quick overview? Is it a kids play area? (We spent a day at DCA in August, but I was under the weather that day and was only in the park about 1/2 day myself.)

 

[Werner Weiss]

Southern California resident specials. AP specials. Those are well and good.

But where does that leave me? We're spending week in Southern California in 2002. Is there any way I can take my wife and two pre-teen "Disney Adult" daughters to DCA without buying four one-day, one-park undiscounted DCA admission tickets? (I don't want to spend more than one day at the Disneyland Resort, so multi-day passes and APs are of no interest to me.)

There's so much else to do in Southern California, that my family won't mind. After seeing the preview DCA exhibit and construction in 2000, they had no interest in going to DCA anyway.

And I'm not planning to do a Yester California Adventure site, so I guess it doesn't matter if I'm not going. Still, I'd like to see DCA, just so that I caould form my own opinion.

Oh well.

 

[Another Voice]

The future of ticketing is still somewhat up in the air at the moment. The Company is certainly moving in the direction of a one-day, two-park ticket option – but whether it will be offered all the time and/or to non-Californians is still an open question. Making such a move will be placing the tombstone on the project’s business model. Granted, that PowerPoint presentation is already dead and buried, but admitting the fact will be rubbing a lot of ego’s the wrong way.

Of bigger concern is if the two-park ticket would work. With the Southern California $6 add-on deal that’s just about to end, attendance at DCA is rumored to be 2,000 – 3,000 a weekday (that’s the full day, park hoopers and annual pass holders included). Since attendance will fall sharply in the January to March season, my guess is that seven-day operation is in real trouble right now with or without discounts.

In short – just keep checking. There will likely be a deal of some sort (even if only for residents), or you might really lucky and the park won’t be open at all.

As for ‘Tower of Unfocused Ennui’ – the budget for this attraction is going through its own “random drop sequence” right now. Disneyland has made it painfully clear to Burbank that a cheap copy of the ride will do more harm than good. And Corporate has made it crystal clear to Anaheim that unless it’s in the Six Flags Catalog, don’t ask Santa for it.

The latest rumors are that the Tower itself will be about a quarter shorter than WDW’s version, but with some reconfiguration the actual drops will be about the same length. The movement through the “Fifth Dimension” is out completely – the ride movement will be just up-and-down in the same shaft. To make up the capacity, the DCA Tower will have three shafts and the ride itself will be half the length of WDW. The hotel lobby, the library, the steam plant, and the “ghosts” show scene are still in the plans, but everyone already expects they will be budgeted out during development and construction. The next couple of years will likely be a fight between Disneyland pushing for a quality attraction and Corporate pushing to sell more Pooh plush.

Oh, one last thing. Mr. Weiss, could you possibly consider putting the Parking Lot in Yesterland. Many, many people are now looking fondly on that old piece of blacktop. Perhaps a small section reserved just for the rumored grave of the Dominguez family dog.

 

[raidermatt]

Thanks for the info, AV. Hopefully the DL people win more battles than they lose...

And I believe Mr. Weiss's site already includes the parking lot. Though I don't remember reading about the pooch...

 

[Werner Weiss]

Please park your Nash Rambler in the Yesterland parking lot at http://www.yesterland.com/parkinglot.html

By the way, please notice that I don't say anything bad about Disney's California Adventure on that page.

 

[larry_poppins]

Werner,
I understand your point. You are a big Disney fan and you don't want to spend $43 per person to see DCA. Yet you are still interested in visiting the park to form your own opinion.
As a fellow DVCer I know you have seen Muppets, Millionaire, and Bugs many times. So you feel that the $43 is too much to pay.

However, I would argue that you and your family might still have a good time at DVC at $43 (assuming the price does not come down for locals).

DCA is a curious place. Many parts of it are beautiful even if the sum leaves one wanting more. As a non-local you might enjoy the California theme more than the OC/LA county visitors. I personally enjoy the Eureka parade, Soaring over California, Blast at the Hyperion, and Paradise Pier (California Screamin') at night. I enjoy eating at Avalon Cove overlooking the Bay- it is hard to believe you are not by the ocean.

And yet like many there are elements at DCA that infuriate me the bread tours, the food court in the marina area.

Although $43 is a lot for your family who already give Disney so much $$ annually, as long time Disney fans I think you owe it yourself to experience the beguiling puzzle of DCA for yourself. You might find you enjoy it more than you think you will.
You may even prefer seeing bugs, or millionaire in DCA than in WDW.

Just my 2 cents,

I will respect your decision whatever you do. I hope prices come down for out of state Disney fans too

Larry Poppins

 

[Werner Weiss]

Originally posted by larry_poppins
Werner,
I understand your point. You are a big Disney fan and you don't want to spend $43 per person to see DCA. Yet you are still interested in visiting the park to form your own opinion.
As a fellow DVCer I know you have seen Muppets, Millionaire, and Bugs many times. So you feel that the $43 is too much to pay.

However, I would argue that you and your family might still have a good time at DVC at $43 (assuming the price does not come down for locals).

I've seen Muppets about six times, Millionaire once, and Bugs twice -- and I know that they'll be there next time we visit WDW.

The "big Disney fan" in me wants to see DCA. But as a husband and father who is spending just a week in Southern California, I'm really not sure DCA is the best use of our limited time. There's so much to see and do in Southern California. So the money becomes a part of the decision process. Is a park with a limited appeal worth $172 + parking price + Disney-priced meals? What if we get bored with the park after a few hours? Not only have we seen Muppets, Millionaire, and Bugs at WDW, but none of us like carnival-style rides, even if they're much prettier than at a carnival. So how many compelling reasons are left for us to visit DCA? Yes, I'd like to see Soarin', Blast, the improved Animation attraction, and even the California movie -- but that's a short list.

Now, maybe if I could get that $6 Disneyland Park second day add-on deal. Or if I could get a multi-day Hopper that never expires (like at WDW). Or if I could get a special price for WDW annual passholders (recognizing that most WDW passholder have already seen three of DCA's few major attractions). Maybe then we'd go. Please, Disneyland management, make the value better or make the park better. Please give me a reason to hand my credit card to a cast member at a Disneyland Resort ticket window.